“This is the end”
Netanyahu calls on Hamas fighters to surrender
December 11, 2023, 12:17 a.m
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is certain that the end of Hamas is near. Numerous terrorists have surrendered in the past few days, he says, and calls on the remaining fighters to follow their example. According to a spokesman for the Islamists, Hamas is not thinking of giving up.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on fighters from the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip to immediately lay down their weapons. Numerous capitulations in recent days indicate that the radical Islamic Palestinian organization is nearing its end, Netanyahu said.
“They are laying down their weapons and surrendering to our heroic soldiers. This will take a while. The war continues, but this is the beginning of the end for Hamas,” Netanyahu’s statement said. “I say to the Hamas terrorists: This is the end. Don’t die for Sinwar,” the Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip. “Surrender – now,” Netanyahu added.
Netanyahu spoke of dozens of surrenders. However, the military has not yet provided any evidence of this and Hamas has so far denied all reports.
Hamas spokesman: Hostages face death if our demands are not met
The spokesman for Hamas’ armed wing, Abu Obeida, had previously announced that fighting against Israeli troops would continue. Despite all attempts, the soldiers were unable to break Hamas’s “resistance,” Obeida said on television. At the same time, he announced that no hostage would leave the Gaza Strip alive if his organization’s demands were not met.
The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’ major attack on Israel on October 7th. That day, hundreds of fighters from the Palestinian organization, which the US and the EU have classified as a terrorist organization, entered Israel from the Gaza Strip and committed atrocities, mostly against civilians. According to Israeli information, around 1,200 people were killed and around 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israel began massive attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas’ latest figures, which cannot be independently verified, at least 17,997 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the Israeli offensive, most of them women and children.
Chances of a new ceasefire are dwindling
A ceasefire brokered primarily by Qatar led to the release of 105 of the hostages taken to the Gaza Strip, in return for 240 Palestinians being released from Israeli custody. According to Israeli figures, 137 prisoners are now still in the hands of Hamas and its allies.
The ceasefire expired on December 1st. However, Qatar announced on Sunday that it would continue its efforts for a new edition. “We will not give up,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in Doha. But he saw the chances of success dwindling.